UVA offense goes silent in second half of 27-13 loss to Maryland

By Scott Ratcliffe

Trailing by six at halftime, Maryland controlled the clock in the second half of Saturday night’s contest in Charlottesville, outscoring Virginia 20-0 after the break en route to a 27-13 win.

The Terrapins (2-1) held the ball for all but 8 minutes and 21 seconds after halftime, as UVA (2-1) had trouble moving the ball out of the locker room, posting only 82 total yards — a sharp contrast to the 288 yards the Wahoos registered in the opening half.

Maryland’s Tai Felton showed why he entered the game as the nation’s leading receiver, hauling in 9 catches for 117 yards (both game-highs) and a touchdown to pace the Terps’ air attack.

In the end, Maryland extended its win streak in non-conference games to 14, while posting its fourth-straight victory in the longstanding series with the Hoos.

The Terrapins were the ones who struggled to light up the scoreboard early on, finally crossing the goal line with 54 seconds remaining in the second quarter on a 19-yard toss to Felton from Billy Edwards Jr. That gave the visitors their first lead of the night, 7-6, following a pair of Will Bettridge field goals to start the contest.

UVA missed out on a number of scoring opportunities, failing to get into the end zone on its first six possessions, including a 65-yard, would-be TD pass from Anthony Colandrea to Chris Tyree on the Hoos’ third offensive snap of the game that was called back for a holding penalty.

Colandrea marched Virginia down to the Maryland 5-yard line on the next drive, but the momentum ended when he fumbled the ball away on a scramble with 5:30 left in the first quarter.

When the Hoos got the ball again, Colandrea gave it right back to the Terps on his own 35-yard line with his third interception of the season, but Maryland kicker Jack Howes went on to miss a 52-yard field goal, and the game remained scoreless late in the opening frame.

A 45-yard diving grab by Trell Harris a few plays later placed the pigskin at the Maryland 6, but the Hoos had to settle for a 19-yard boot to make it 3-0 with 50 ticks left in the first.

Bettridge added a 29-yarder with 8:27 remaining in the half to double the lead, as the UVA offense moved the ball down to the Terps’ 12, but only came away with three.

After Maryland took the lead just before the half, Colandrea found tight end Tyler Neville four plays later on a 39-yard laser, and the second-year quarterback took it in himself from 10 yards out on the following snap — his second career rushing touchdown — with one second to go, sending his team into the locker room with a 13-7 lead.

UVA got the ball back out of the break with a chance to extend the advantage, but quickly went three-and-out and punted, a sign of things to come. The final five Cavalier possessions went as follows: interception, three-and-out, three-and-out, fumble, turnover on downs.

Meanwhile, the Terps took the lead for good, 14-13, on a 26-yard pass from Edwards to Kaden Prather to cap an 8-play, 68-yard march on their first possession of the half.

Howes tacked on two field goals across the following 13-plus minutes, and the Cavaliers were still within a score, 20-13, with 12:31 remaining, but the offense fell apart at the worst possible time.

After the aforementioned Virginia fumble (by Malachi Fields), Maryland used another lengthy drive to put the finishing touches on the evening, with Edwards punching in the final touchdown from a yard out with 7:10 to play.

Colandrea, who completed 21 of his 37 passes on the night for 247 yards, was just 8 for 18 for 58 yards in the second half, finishing with a QB rating of 26.5.

Harris led the team in receiving with 72 yards on 4 grabs, while Neville had 3 catches for 57 yards, and first-year receiver Kameron Courtney made a splash with a pair of receptions for 36 yards.

Fields, who came into the night as the ACC’s leading receiver, was targeted 11 times but only reeled in 4 catches for 36 yards — all of which came in the second half.

Kobe Pace (team-high 46 rushing yards on 11 carries) and Xavier Brown (43 yards on 7 carries) were effective at times, but the team produced just 123 net yards on the ground.

Antonio Clary was one of three Cavaliers who notched double-digit stops, finishing with a game-high 14 tackles (6 solo). James Jackson (12 tackles) and Jonas Sanker (11) also helped lead the defensive effort.

Maryland, which committed no turnovers, outgained UVA 391-370 for the game, with Edwards passing for 263 yards and the Terps running for 128. Nolan Ray had a game-high 53 yards rushing.

UVA Offensive Stats

Team Notes

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

• Virginia drops to 32-46-2 all-time against Maryland, and has lost each of the last four matchups. It marked the first meeting between the two schools in Charlottesville since 2012. 
• Maryland was limited to seven points off UVA’s four turnovers (two fumbles, two interceptions). The two fumbles lost by Virginia were the first two of the season. 
• The Virginia defense was credited with eight pass breakups. It marks the second time in the last 26 games UVA had eight or more pass breakups (8 vs. Duke – 2023). 
• Went over 100 rushing yards for the second time in three games. 
• Virginia held a lead over Maryland at halftime for the second consecutive year. 
• UVA was held scoreless in the second half for the first time since last year’s meeting against the Terps. 
• The Cavaliers offense produced three plays over 30 yards in the contest and now have 11 on the season.  

Player Notes

• Antonio Clary set a career-high 14 tackles, including one for-loss to go along with two pass breakups.
• Jonas Sanker had 11 tackles, putting him over the 200-tackle mark for his career. 
• Wide receiver Kameron Courtney recorded his first career catch, a 33-yard reception in the first quarter … he finished with two receptions for 36 yards.  
• Quarterback Anthony Colandrea put UVA up 13-7 with :01 left in the first half with a 10-yard rushing touchdown, his second rushing TD of his career. He finished with 247 yards passing, his 10th career 200-yard game. 
• Jahmeer Carter upped his career total to 2.5 with a takedown behind the line in the third quarter. It was his first sack since North Carolina on Oct. 21, 2023. 
• Trell Harris’ diving 45-yard catch in the first quarter is the longest of his career. Harris led all UVA wideouts with 72 yards receiving on the night. 
• Tyler Neville’s 39-yard catch in the second quarter is the longest of his career. Neville finished with three catches for 57 yards. 
• Jam Jackson had a career high nine tackles and also was credited with two pass breakups. 
• Chico Bennett matched a career-high with eight tackles. He also had eight at Louisville last season. 

UP NEXT

The Hoos will try to regroup next Saturday at 2 p.m. in Conway, S.C., against unbeaten Coastal Carolina.